All 19 seats in the Legislature are up this year. And those 19 districts will likely be changing, as the county has just released proposed new maps because of the redistricting process that must take place. Some Hempstead town board seats will be up for grabs this year, but there will be no village election for the first time in four years, with the Board of Trustees set until 2015.

This could be the year residents of Valley Stream’s high-risk flood zone have been waiting for. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will likely remove several thousand homes from the zone, which would end a fight that has lasted nearly three years.

There’s a lot more to come: parades and graduations, opening days and awards ceremonies, community fairs and business openings. There is certainly a lot to look forward to in 2013. But we’re in the news business, so we also know to expect the unexpected. Stay tuned, Valley Stream, for 2013.